


The Road out of Bremen

by Arisusan



Series: The Road [4]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Adventure, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, pseudo-episodic, stretching the titling convention to the absolute limit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29665128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arisusan/pseuds/Arisusan
Summary: Daisya, a young exorcist at the Black Order, has learned after a variety of near-fatal escapades that his best friend Kanda, has been keeping him alive at the cost of his own lifespan. Together with the precocious Lenalee and the reliable Marie, they are guaranteed to survive the next few years of their lives. How do they do it? Stay tuned to find out.This fanfic has been in-progress for half a decade, and I'll see it through to the end if it takes a full five years more.
Relationships: Daisya Barry & Kanda Yuu
Series: The Road [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/493876
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, folks, it's been two years! It's coming up on half a decade since I started this fic and let me promise you, it'll be more than that before I forget it. First, thanks to everyone who kept this thing going. Hn, waterlit, lostinmusation, everyone else, and most of all karina, you probably all have paying employment and better things to do now than read fanfic for a long-dead minor character in a long-dead anime. I certainly do! But this work has followed me for a good part of my life, and I must see it through until the end.

The gothic arches of the Black Order soared into the heavens above far more earthly matters. Through the slim windows of the dining hall, damp, blue spring-time light covered wooden tables and chairs, settling over finders and exorcists like a fine mist. Two children chased each other around the hall, a boy of nine and a girl of ten picked up by returning exorcists.

There were not as many as there once were.

The next-youngest exorcists were all sat at the same table somewhere near the kitchen, picking the bones of their breakfast. To an outsider, they might seem to be keeping to themselves, three teenagers and a young man sunk into the circular conversation of family.

"You think they might let us out today?" one of them asked, a stocky boy in bandages and a loose cloak."I hear the river's gone down."

"My brother said we can't afford to stay in here much longer," the lone girl answered.

"Yeah, but are we actually allowed out?"

"If you want to leave, leave," a skinny boy said.

"Whether or not it's safe, they may have to send out a team," the young man concluded. "They cannot afford to let akuma go unchallenged."

"Here's hoping it's us who get to challenge 'em."

"Are you bored, Daisya?" asked Marie. "You really should have told us sooner."

Daisya aimed a kick at him under the table, which had about as much effect as a poke.

"It's been weeks! Seriously, I don't know how you guys stand it."

"It's not like we've had any rest," muttered Kanda.

"I like spending time with the people here," Lenalee said simply. "The flood may not be good for everyone, but at least it means we can all catch up."

She finished the last of her congee, putting the bowl aside neatly and starting on the small plate of dried fruit they had in lieu of the fresh stuff.

"Ugh. That's cheesy."

Kanda flicked an apple seed at him, grazing him on the cheek. "Shut up, you like it too."

"I think Kanda may be right," said Marie slyly. "You've seemed quite eager in our lessons, Daisya."

Defeated, Daisya set to fiddling with his bandages, rewrapping the ones he could reach and pinning them back in place.

"Fine, fine. Look, I'm happy that you've all been keeping me busy," he said, "But it's still not fun, being trapped in one place."

"Yeah, since it actually forces you to work," said Kanda. "The rain's already stopped. We'll be out of here soon."

"You sure?"

"Sure."

"Though I will still expect you to practice with me," added Marie. "If you want to increase your solo capabilities, you must learn to control your pitch."

"I already control the pitch."

"Not the football pitch, your musical pitch," said Lenalee. Kanda grumbled quietly at the joke, while Daisya offered her a high-five.

"You're getting so sharp, you'll cut yourself!"

"I—"

"Hey," Marie interrupted. "Does you hear footsteps?"

The hall was full of the soft shuffling of movement, but those seated at the table quieted down and concentrated on the patchwork of noise. Sure enough, when they quieted down, they caught a more purposeful stride making its way toward them from the opposite end of the hall. Kanda, whose eyes were sharpest, saw him first.

"It's Reever," he said.

"He looks worried," Lenalee commented.

"Don't tell me we're trapped for longer," whined Daisya.

"Good morning, Reever," said Marie.

"Morning," Reever said tiredly. "Sorry, it's been a long night. How healthy are you all?"

"Couldn't be better!"

"We're doing all right."

"Fine."

"What is it?" asked Marie.

Reever waved a file in front of them. "More Finders fallen off the map. We're still cut off from the road, but the North African HQ already needs all the help it can get—damn, and I just signed the transfer for the twins. They'll—no, they'll be there by now—"

"So you're sending us out, right? We get to leave?"

"Daisya," Lenalee cautioned. "Let Reever tell us what's going on first, okay?"

"Thank you, Lenalee," muttered Reever. "The field agents think it's something more than a couple of akuma, in a place called Bremen. No confirmed kills, but we got a call from one Finder in the region just a few days ago, and none of the three we sent there have reported in. If they get another foothold there, it'll make our lives even harder. I don't like it, but you four are our best team. Marie, Daisya, you can cover more ground than the rest of us put together. Kanda, you can take a hit. Lenalee—I don't like it, but we'll need someone who can travel fast. If something happens—"

"I'll report back," said Lenalee simply. Across from her, Kanda nodded. "I understand."

Reever sighed, more tired than ever. "I know. Briefing's at ten sharp, Komui's office. He refused to let anyone else handle the logistics."

"You mean half past," said Daisya, "He's never on time."

"You're telling me. Marie, General Tiedoll had a note here about you, uh—"

"It should not present a problem."

"Okay, good, moving on."

"Wait, what's not a problem?" asked Daisya sharply.

"The General and I have been experimenting with the capabilities of my Innocence," Marie said smoothly. "As I said, it should not present a problem."

Kanda fidgeted beside him, hands wrapping around the edges of his coat.

"Good. That's it for now—and, you guys?"

"Yes?" asked Lenalee.

"Do me a favour. Make it back here, alive." Reever tapped her on the head with his file. "Your brother wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"They will," said Kanda, speaking for the first time.

"We will," the others corrected together.

"I'll hold you to that. Anyway, I've got a three-foot stack of paperwork to sort out yesterday, so I'll be going. Enjoy your breakfast, or, uh, what's left of it."

With a vague wave over their empty plates, Reever turned and strode off. The light was paler now, more grey than blue as the diners filtered out of the hall in twos and threes.

" _Finally_ ," said Daisya. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to spend another minute studying, eh?"

"You don't study."

"Kanda, you're catching on. When'd he say we're meeting? Ten?"

"Closer to ten thirty, as you pointed out," said Marie.

"And what's the time?"

"Dunno," said Kanda, as Lenalee took a watch from her pocket that seemed far too large for her hands.

"Ten minutes to nine."

"Hmmm. Anyone up for a game?"

"Don't forget to pack," said Marie.

"Yeah, yeah, I can just shove everything into my bag. How about we meet in the back courtyard? We can do some two-on-two."

"Fine," said Kanda.

"I might take longer," said Lenalee. "But I think I have time. Marie?"

"You do need some combat practice, don't you, Daisya?"

"Yeah," Daisya said cheerfully, a grin sitting on his face like a cat on a cushion. "I really do."

He hopped to his feet, brushing crumbs off his cloak and on to the floor before grabbing his tray and bolting.

"Last one up does the paperwork!"

With a clatter of cutlery and scraping of chairs, the other three followed him.

...

The four exorcists stood panting in Komui's office. Marie stood between a red-faced Daisya and Kanda, while Lenalee hurriedly untangled bits of twig from Kanda's hair. The time was 10:42 AM, and the office was empty.

"Daisya, are you sure you're all right?"

"Look, I've been hurt enough to know when I am. Okay?"

"I could never question your judgment," said Marie dryly.

"He's fine," Kanda interrupted. "I'm the one he landed on."

"I thought you couldn't pick the ball up in football, anyway," said Lenalee.

"Yeah, unless you're playing by rugby rules."

"Which we weren't," said Kanda.

"Until you picked up the ball!"

"I was defending the goal."

"You were ahead of the defense line!"

"You both seemed to be having fun, at least," said Lenalee.

"Yeah, she's right," said Daisya.

"Whatever."

"Regardless, you shouldn't start wrestling the day of a mission," Marie concluded.

"But—"

"Hey there!"

Daisya's argument was cut off by the whirlwind of loose paper and general disorganization that shot through the door, appearing on the other side of the main desk without actually seeming to walk through the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Lena, we just had a _little_ bit of trouble with the phone, but I managed to give Reever the slip so! Your next mission."

The mask of distraction slipped off of Komui's face, leaving them looking at a serious young man around Marie's age.

"Over the last decade, there have been a few waves of above-average akuma activity around the world. Europe's been a hot spot for, oh, four years now? As akuma numbers grow, they kill more people while looking for Innocence, and when those people die, the people around them sink into despair and become willing to do anything for some sense of relief.."

Komui opened a marked-up paper map, spreading it across the table.

"Here," he said, pointing to a thick grey "x" mark, "Is the last reported location of the Finder Gertrud Proust. Three Finders we sent as reinforcements also disappeared before checking in. Over here is a report of a Noah-like being, called in by another Finder, Iris Ohm. This here is an independently recorded Noah sighting, second-hand, recorded and submitted by Lisa Sturm."

The three marks formed a loose cluster some way south of the city, shown to be a forest by the sketched icons of trees.

"Looks cold," said Daisya, leaning over the map. "You think—"

"Quiet."

Lenalee pulled him back with a small hand on his shoulder.

"Normally," Komui continued. "The best response to a Noah sighting is to avoid the area until such time as an exorcist general can be summoned and sent in. In this case, Bremen is a port city near the North Sea. If—and I don't—we can't know for certain—but if they have found our location, they could reach us in a few days. Until the flooding stops, we're trapped here. We can't risk an invasion.

"Of the exorcists here, you four are the only ones who have trained together for any amount of time. You stand the best chance of surviving—" Komui ran straight over the crack in his voice. "—at all. Which is what this mission might need."

Calm at best, Marie had now gone quite still, leaving the group without their leader. What was unusual was that Daisya, too, had frozen in place.

The girl. The one he saw. She was in the forest, wasn't she?

"Then we're engaging," Kanda said flatly.

She'd seen him.

"We can't know that until you're down there. Your chief objective is surveillance. Find a group of akuma or a Noah and observe their movements. If you find evidence of some kind of massed or co-ordinated attack on our Finders, gather whatever information you can. If you have _solid_ evidence that HQ is the target, then send Lenalee back here and engage as best you can. We recommend—the Order recommends guerrilla tactics. At that point, you won't be trying to kill the akuma. You will do what you can to confuse, or slow them down. We're not even sure if there was a Noah there. Even so, do _not_ engage with a Noah unless absolutely necessary. You will die. That doesn't means there's a chance you might not make it out, it means you _will_ die."

She...but there were fourteen different Noah. Even if one was, _she_ wouldn't be there.

"They're not going to give us a choice."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Komui demanded.

Unconsciously, Daisya raised his hand to his mouth.

"Then what's the point of this?" Kanda pressed on.

"Listen, these are the official orders. This is _not_ , and I repeat, _not_ a good idea. If the Noah know we're here, we're dead. The exorcists general are at least a week's travel away on foot. If they use their Innocence to travel faster, they won't be good for a fight. We're sitting ducks. I don't think the Noah are planning anything, and if they were, it wouldn't matter. We're on a skeleton crew, and we're trapped."

"And if they knew where we were, they'd have us under surveillance. Sending us away would guarantee an attack."

"Exactly."

"But we can't disobey orders," said Lenalee. "We don't have a good course of action."

"I know. For now, surveillance will do. If there's any unusual akuma activity, do what you can, but get out of there while you're still alive. If you find a Noah, run."

"And you'll cover for us." Marie didn't ask.

"Yes."

"So we're still...going, yeah?" Daisya asked.

Komui sent him a glare. "You're supposed to leave before sunset. Catch a train overnight to Hull, then find transport to the Low Countries. We've asked some Finders to get you to Bremen, but you'll have to go on foot form there."

"Understood," said Marie. "We'll be ready."

"Will you?" Komui said, almost to himself. "Never mind. We didn't have the second of half of this talk, by the way."

"What talk?"

"Daisya—"

...

"It's still high," said Lenalee, looking out over the swollen river below. The water had been churned to the colour of milky tea, flecked through with bits of flora and fauna it had tugged down into its current. It ran over the deck of the Black Order's main bridge, threatening to tear it away with each minute it flowed.

"Still not that bad. 'Least we can walk this far."

Walking up behind Daisya, Kanda tugged him forward.

"Hurry up."

"Can't blame a guy for taking in the scenery. Where'd Marie get to?"

"He went to check out the second crossing."

"What did he find?" asked Lenalee.

"Still flooded. He's looking for a place to cross. We'll meet up on the other side."

"I don't see why he can't just come back here," said Daisya. "We're not supposed to split up."

"There's nothing for him to grab on to here."

"And I'm still not strong enough to carry him," added Lenalee.

"I guess," Daisya conceded.

"Get a move on, then."

"Fine. You ready, Lena?"

"Just a minute—" Lenalee sank down into a sturdier stance, planting her feet down on the thin grass that grew up in the mountains. "Ready."

"Gotcha!"

Daisya put an arm around her shoulders and jumped up as she brought her arms up under him. Her boots were already starting to synchronize, lifting them slowly off of the ground.

"Am I getting lighter, or have you grown?" he asked cheerily.

"I'm growing, I think. I'm trying to get stronger."

"You're definitely not losing weight," called Kanda from below.

"Shut up."

"He's just teasing," said Lenalee.

"So 'm I."

Having warmed up her boots, Lenalee increased the power flow, sending them up and over the brown river in a matter of seconds. Daisya felt a pang of envy as they soared. His synchronization gave him a little bit of strength above and beyond what he was capable of, but he couldn't _fly_ like this.

"I'll let go on the count of three. One, two, three—"

Daisya let go of her as she released her hold and jumped down lightly on to the muddy ground.

"Kanda," he called across the river, "You think you can toss those over here?"

"Yeah."

He watched as Kanda heaved one of their packs, swung it experimentally, then sent it flying over the river. Daisya caught it with one hand.

"Got it!"

Once the bags were over, Lenalee flew back and fetched Kanda, who didn't look like he enjoyed the flight much.

"Is Marie coming over here?" she asked once they were all safely on the ground.

"We're meeting at the head of the road. He said there was still something he wanted to check."

The three shouldered their packs, looking down the small path through the rock and debris that surrounded the headquarters of the Black Order.

"What are we waiting for? He's probably down there already."

It was just for a second, but Daisya felt Kanda's eyes land on him.

"Yes, but we should save our energy," said Lenanlee. "Don't run."

"Spoilsport," Daisya said lightly. "Can I at least sing? It's technically practice."

"I don't think I can stop you," said Lenalee with a laugh.

"Good. You all in the mood for anything in particular?"

After a brief bout of bickering, Daisya eventually started on an Irish tune that snaked up between the rocks and bounced back at them eerily. The sun, high overhead at their departure, slipped lower until the high rock walls nearly hid it. Lenalee joined in now and then at the chorus, adding the parts that she knew in a thin voice. Kanda stayed silent.

A half an hour later, or thereabouts, a rich baritone added to the mix, hovering just under Daisya's reedy tenor as they rounded the final corner and came out on to a narrow dirt road.

"How was that, Marie? G minor, yeah?" Daisya nearly leapt forward at him, dancing from foot to foot to try and burn off the pent up energy.

"It was flat, but you were close."

"Aw, come on. What were you checking?"

Marie walked forward steadily, making the rest of them skip to keep up with his strides. The man was longer than a camel.

"Komui had me look at the siege defenses," he said.

"We've got siege defenses?"

Lenalee laughed while Kanda rolled his eyes, kicking Daisya's foot up from under him.

"The Order has existed for centuries," said Marie.

"They never told us about them!"

"You can't give up the information if you don't have any. Shall we be on our way? We should move quickly."

"We should make the most of the daylight," agreed Lenalee.

For the first time in a long time, a team of four Exorcists left the European branch of the Black Order.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's a turn out for the books! This story will finish within a year, I can promise, for my own sake as well as you exceedingly generous 11 readers. Hope you all are enjoying the start of spring/fall depending on your hemisphere.

Four figures, one large, three small, stood perched on a tall outcrop above the train tracks. The sun set at their backs, casting long shadows over the hills and vales of the northwest, where the rainwater flowed down into shining lakes between the hills. In front of them, the railway snaked out and to the north, over high trestles before the land rose up to hold the tracks snugly in its valleys.

"Heads or tails?"

"You guys can decide."

"Tails."

"Heads."

"I did it last time."

Marie flipped the coin up and caught it on the back of his hand.

"What's the result?"

Three heads peered over.

"Heads," said Daisya.

"Really?"

"Yes," Lenalee confirmed.

"I suppose I should be glad you're not trying to lie, Daisya," said Marie dryly. "Do you have a train in mind?"

"There should be one going Liverpool in, uh, half an hour? We can go from there to Hull through Leeds."

"Once you have the schedule, meet us in the rear car."

"Right-o." Daisya saluted lazily. "Kanda, you wanna come with? 'S always easier to get info out of those drivers when you've got a sword with you."

"Sure."

The two boys unshouldered their travelling bags, leaning them together against a nearby rock while the others followed suit. It was fall, so the light would take a while before it faded completely. Thankfully they were still far enough from the sea that they weren't getting the cold winds.

"You're sure it's scheduled within the hour?" asked Lenalee, setting down a pack nearly as big as her torso.

"Absolutely," Daisya said. "We've still got time for a game, or something."

"I have a pack of cards," offered Marie.

"Great!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Daisya's legs folded nearly under him as he sat where he was, not bothering to check the grass for dirt. He was going to be getting dusty sooner or later. From his pocket, he fished out a matchbox.

"You guys up for Stop the Bus?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

Marie knelt down beside Daisya, facing north so that he'd hear the noise of a train before any of them could see it. Lenalee chose a spot facing him, no easy task when you had to deal with his poker face, while Kanda slumped down across from Daisya. He undid and retied his ponytail as Marie dealt the thick paper cards, probably just for the sake of it, and Daisya passed two matches around to each player. There weren't enough in the box for a full game, he'd forgotten to restock with how fast they headed out.

"Does everyone remember the rules?" asked Lenalee.

"We played it, like, last week," he said.

"It's always good to check."

It wasn't their rowdiest game, without any sort of partner rules and without the weird and complicated games they'd been used to with so many days trapped inside HQ. It was better than nothing, though!

Sure enough, they never had any trouble reading the cards. If anything, it was harder just to see everyone's faces with the sun shining straight across from the horizon. Of course, Marie could read them with his fingers whether it was light or dark. Nice to have clear skies after so many days of rain, even if Daisya never thought he'd be thinking this, since the rain did actually get boring after a while.

They played for just under half an hour, enough for Daisya to strike out but not enough to leave a clear winner. Kanda was midway through winning his first round, reading his hand one card at a time, when Marie straightened up and held a hand up for them to quiet down.

"Daisya, can you see anything?" he asked.

Daisya paused his construction of a matchstick tower to scan the horizon. "Nothing yet, but you're probably right. Now's about the time it should be coming."

"Then let's pack up," said Marie. "You've brought rope?"

"A short one, yeah. If it all goes to plan, I shouldn't need it."

"I'll follow behind you, just to make sure," said Lenalee.

They packed up quickly, since there was nothing worse than missing a train and waiting hours in the cold for another one. Not that he'd ever been there, no. Daisya collapsed his little castle back into its matchbox, while Kanda collected the cards and Marie kept an ear out for their ride. The iron horse was loud as hell, especially among these hills and rocks. As they tied up their packs, the chugging of its engines filtered out to the rest of them.

"I think I see it," Lenalee said a few minutes later, pointing to the gap between hills where the tracks came out. In the shadows, Daisya couldn't see a thing. "It doesn't look very long."

"We may have to share our cabin, then," said Marie. He already had his Innocence out, thin steel wires that braided themselves into a cable as he hummed.

"We won't," said Kanda. Side-by-side with Daisya, he was standing on the edge of their little hill, feet nearly over the edge as he gauged the drop down to the tracks below. The train had disappeared behind another hill, but the noise from engine was getting louder. Once it came back into sight, they'd be ready to jump—always sooner than you thought you had to, since those things moved fast.

"Aw, what do you mean?" teased Daisya. "You're not going to scare them off, are you?"

"No, they'll see you and leave."

For that, he got a punch on the arm.

"Kanda, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you had a sense of humour, yeah?"

"Are you guys ready?" called Lenalee. "Marie just needs a few seconds."

"Yeah, we're ready! You should probably boot up your Innocence, now."

"Daisya, please use some better jokes," said Marie, further behind them.

A green glow lit them all up while Daisya stretched his legs, coming off of the inappropriately-named Dark Boots. There was a sharp thud, and Lenalee kicked off behind them.

As usual, she flew back a ways to meet the train and hovered just over the front car, ready to help if anyone had trouble getting on. The Bell was great, but sometimes, Daisya really did wish he could fly. It was about time to put on the gloves he had stashed in his cloak pocket.

"Man, I never get tired of this."

For some reason, Kanda scoffed.

"What?"

"Don't you get bored of everything?"

Daisya couldn't help smiling, getting a look in return. "Almost everything."

Whatever he said next, Kanda didn't hear it. The train had come up on them. Time to go. They both stepped back, ready to run forward and push off of the edge, jumping from the bright sideways light of the hill into the darkness.

Daisya jumped first, twisting awkwardly in the air so that he landed splayed-out on the roof of the first car. It wasn't quite as simple as touching down—the moment he made contact, he had to dig in against the train's movement, gloves and boots throwing up sparks as they clung on. While let the speed of the car drag him back along the roof, Kanda landed in front of him.

Somehow, the guy managed to stay standing. He'd never know how he did it, but looking up along his stance, Daisya could see him shaking with the effort. Show-off.

Feeling his feet reach the end of the roof, Daisya prepared himself. This was the hard part. He doubled his grip on the car and let his feet slide off the roof and down the side, scrabbling for and finding a foothold. Once he had that, he shifted his hands to the edge of the roof and jumped down on to the bobbing, narrow deck at the back of the car. Success!

A loud _clunk_ and the screech of a tortured piano told him that Marie had hopped on the car, latching on with the Innocence cable to guide him.

And then, quiet as a living shadow, Kanda dropped down beside him.

"What did you try, this time?" asked Kanda. He looked up, signalling for Lenalee to join Marie at his spot.

"Magnets. I thought, they're the iron horse, right? So magnets should work."

Daisya flexed his hands, feeling the click of the iron he'd shoved between the lining and canvas of his homemade gloves.

"Did it?"

"I think so. I mean, I didn't get scraped up, did I?"

Daisya rapped a quick rhythm on the door of the car, then leaned back on the deck railing.

"Rope's better."

"Says you! You don't even have to do anything, you just jump."

"I know."

Any further argument was cut off by a harried-looking woman at the car door. She opened the top section, looking out at them for a split second before ducking inside, scanning the car, and leaning back out. Even in the darkness, it wasn't hard to identify an Exorcist's uniform.

"Liverpool, arrival at half past ten!" she shouted over the wind and roaring engine. "Please don't disturb the passengers—"

"Yeah, yeah," said Daisya. "We'll just be in the back. See ya!"

Before he'd finished speaking, the door closed with a snap.

"Huh, and we didn't even need to threaten her."

"Once is enough."

Kanda nodded towards the back of the train. "Cars or roof?"

"Hey, let's go along the roof. I'm feeling adventurous."

"Always do."

They scrambled back up—well, Daisya scrambled, and Kanda followed behind with practiced grace—on to the roof, where Daisya stopped, dropping to a crouch. He kept one hand flat on the train roof.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought, it's dusk. It's nice to see the stars come out."

"You're going to fall off."

"Hey, it's more stable sitting down. Besides, you'll catch me."

A month ago, Daisya would have been joking, and Kanda might have shot back with a remark of his own. But it wasn't worth denying, now that they both knew the truth.

...

They stayed up on the roof to the transfer point, shivering through layers and layers of travelling gear, but dropped down into the car with Marie and Lenalee on the way east. There wasn't even time to get a card game in before they all dozed off, stacking themselves awkwardly to make the best of the time and space they had. Marie shoved his pack up against the window as a cushion, Lenalee curled up on the seat with her head on his lap, Daisya put his head down on the table, and Kanda took up most of the other bench with Daisya's knees for a pillow.

It wasn't really sleeping. Daisya still had the rumble of the tracks in his head and the vague pressure of Kanda keeping him awake, the crick in his neck and the cramps in his legs. His pack wasn't a great cushion either, since the clothes he had were on him and what was left was gear and the bedroll. His mind just drifted off, following weird paths and circling around. He had a good feeling about this mission. Since he and Kanda had it out over his broken leg, the weird sort of curdled fear between them has evaporated. He still sort of felt a thrill whenever they really got into it on the field or in the dojo, but that wasn't anything bad. It kept life interesting, even if it wasn't so scary anymore.

He felt Kanda shift and toss. The weight was kind of comforting. Yeah. This team would make it through.

...

They woke up, or at least opened their eyes, well into the morning when the train pulled into Hull town.

Daisya was up first with the light shining across his face, and with him up, Kanda didn't have much of a choice. They unfolded themselves with a minimum of swearing, then tried to stretch out the cramps. All that got them was new cramps, and a whole orchestra of snapping or cracking joins. It was sort of gross to think about what was going on there. One loud pop woke Lenalee, who started stretching, too, and then Marie had probably been awake from the start. He didn't get up until the rest of them had already checked their things and opened the blind.

"Sleep well?" Daisya asked. It wasn't like anyone else was saying anything.

"Yes, thank you."

"Yes!"

"Mm."

He patted Kanda on the shoulder for no particular reason. "I didn't. I don't know what you all were doing, but that was terrible."

"Some people would say the polite thing," said Marie. Lenalee giggled, the traitor.

"Aw, shut up. How long until we get there?"

"We take the same damn train every time," said Kanda flatly.

Daisya flopped back down in the seat, stretching out all the way to make sure _some_ people didn't get to sit down.

"Yeah, but am I going around with a stopwatch?"

"Do you think we have one?"

"Okay," he conceded, "Maybe not."

"Move over."

Kanda tried to shove his legs out of the way, then did shove his legs out of the way when he resisted.

"Oh, fuck off—"

"Language," said Marie.

"Ficken Sie," he corrected, stretching out again over Kanda.

As he settled down, he braced his head against the hard wall of the carriage and prepared to relax. The sleep he hadn't had was catching up with him. Out the window, he could see rows of tall brick houses pass by, blurred against the grime on the glass.

"I think we're close to the station," said Lenalee, peering out at an angle. "There will be ships leaving in the afternoon, right, Marie?"

"Yes, though we should try to board the first one we can."

"We're stopping for snacks first, right?" said Daisya.

Kanda could snicker all he wanted, but it wasn't a question. Even if Marie did answer.

"We do need to eat. Remember, you'll use your own money until we reach the continent. Food and supplies will be cheaper there."

Lenalee looked back from the window. "Kanda, remember that nice lady we found near the fish market?"

"Yeah."

"We should go there!" she said. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see us. The eels were really good, too."

"Eels? Hell yeah. Cooked or jellied?" asked Daisya. "I'm not a fan of fish jam."

"Cooked," said Kanda, combing his fingers through the end of his ponytail.

"I remember we had the same type of thing when I was a little kid," said Lenalee. "Komui liked them, but he can't really cook that well and Jerry didn't know the recipe, so we don't really have it any more."

"So long as it's not out of the way, we can go by there," said Marie.

All of a sudden there was a long, drawn-out, _painful_ squeaking noise as the train ground to a halt outside the station. Daisya would've gone sliding right into the table if Kanda hadn't grabbed him by the back of the shirt.

"We're here!" he announced.

Lenalee craned her neck, trying to look along the track. "It looks like there's another train already here."

"Don't get too excited, Daisya," said Marie with a little smile that had to be a smirk. "We may be here for some time."

"I'm not excited, I'm just—"

"Bored of waiting," Kanda finished. "We know."

"Yeah, that's right." He flung out his arms, letting his hand do whatever they wanted up in the air. It would get the cramp out of his wrists, at least. "What are we going to do?"

"Wait," said Kanda.

"We still have cards," said Marie.

"We already did cards."

Stretching out one last time, he let his arms fall back. They folded neatly over his stomach.

"I wonder if we're allowed out in the hallway," mused Lenalee.

"What do you mean?" asked Marie.

"Well, we could just practice rolls or handsprings or something like that."

"Everyone here wants to get out," said Kanda. "It'll be too crowded."

On cue, everyone's head turned to check out the corridor. Even Daisya pushed himself up to try and get a look, though he didn't see much else but the wooden part of the door.

"There isn't anyone there right now," said Lenalee.

"Can we go?" Daisya asked.

"Kanda's right. We don't want to make ourselves known."

"Spoilsport," he teased.

"You are, of course, free to amuse yourself," Marie replied.

Daisya turned back around, laid out on the bench facing what he could see of the window. Kanda was still working on his hair, letting the broken ends and strands just pile up on his robe. Now _there_ was an idea.

"Hey, Kanda, can I do your hair?"

"What?"

"Can I give you a hairdo? You know, braids, bun, whatever. Lenalee, back me up."

He waved over to her.

"Daisya is better with it than some people," she supplied.

"See? I'm great."

Kanda gave him a look that wasn't angry.

"How can you braid hair if you're flat on your back?"

"I'm going to get up!"

To prove it, he slid his legs off and pushed himself right back to sitting beside Kanda.

"See? Now, can I?"

"Sure."

Moving a little more slowly than Daisya would have liked, Kanda turned around and let his hair out of its ponytail. They all washed right before setting out, so it was smooth and dry, falling down his back. Sometimes, when they'd been on the road for weeks, he could take out his hair tie and it would be so greasy it just stayed up, billowing out like a lion's mane.

"Do you see any movement, Lena?" asked Marie. He'd gotten out a thin-ish braille book of poems that he always took with him, which he was reading through for what had to be the five billionth time. Did the guy never get bored of doing the same thing?

"Not yet."

"You're small enough that you could probably go out in the hallway without much trouble." Oh, come on.

"Traitor," Daisya said. "But don't mind us."

He combed his fingers through Kanda's hair. Actually, most of the knots were out already and stuck to his cloak, but it felt nice just to check. Kanda's hair felt a lot nicer than Lenalee's, even if it was riskier to practice on.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to do some exercises," said Lena. "Sorry, Daisya!"

"Eh, it's fine." He waved an absentminded hand at her, concentrating on the job in front of him. "Say, Kanda, what do you want?"

There was a trundling noise and a scrape of wood as Lenalee opened the door, stepping out into the hallway, and then a click as she pulled it shut behind her. Daisya bit his lip absentmindedly as he considered his options.

"I could just braid it down the middle," he said to fill the silence. "But that doesn't take very long. Maybe I could do a French braid? I think it would be kinda cool if we had a whole bunch of braids that I could tie together."

"Whatever you do, I'm taking it out," Kanda said unhelpfully. "It doesn't matter."

"Okay, anything I want. Got it. I've got a few pins that I can use in hair, I think..."

He turned away to grab his bag, plunging a hand down into it and feeling around until he found the contours of his pinbox. Mostly they were safety pins, for bandages, but there were some real pins and some hairpins in there that had found their way to him over the years. He slipped it out, opened it, picked out the hairpins, and set to work.

Bit by bit, the sun was rising and the light through the window was getting less intense, easier to work with. Another clear day.

This was relaxing, actually. He hadn't really minded doing his sister's braids, and helping Lena when she wanted something more complicated was fun. This was just especially nice since Kanda's hair was longer than anyone else's here, so there were more options. The possibilities! It helped that it was soft. That didn't make any sense. He'd seen Kanda wash it by just slathering with soap and dragging a comb through, but whatever magic kept him strong and healed him probably helped with that as well.

Enough of that. Daisya had time to work, he had plenty of pins, he had an unresisting victim who just sat and stared out the window—this really was a good idea.

Starting at the top of Kanda's forehead, he pulled his bangs back and gathered them up, starting a thin braid that would bet bigger as he worked around the side of his head, pulling in more hair. Sure, it was a little messy, but Kanda said he was going to take it out anyway. This was for him, and he wanted to try a kind of braided crown he saw girls wearing in the east, last time they went out that far.

"What are you doing?" Kanda asked.

"You'll see."

"Fine. How long is it going to take?"

"I don't know. Ten minutes? Depends on if I want to make it look good."

He paused as Kanda moved, letting him shuffle around a bit and get comfortable.

"You can take longer," he said.

Now, that was interesting. Daisya had learned to understand Kanda after a long, long time of not getting what went on in his head. What that had to mean was that Kanda liked this. Daisya's hair was pretty slow in growing back after it all got burnt off, so he couldn't really guess why. It wasn't like his had ever been long enough to style.

Actually, when he looked hard, he could see Kanda's shoulders relax as he worked through the right side of the braid, getting it to curve around right to the base of his skull with a bit of trial and error. For some reason he had to resist some weird need to try get more of that tension out. It was just a compulsion. Kicking the ball, plucking strings, holding the pencil tight when he was writing, kicking rocks on the road until they bounced off into the bushes, and now, apparently, running a hand down Kanda's neck to break down the knots he was sure he had, after that night's sleep. He needed to feel things.

He didn't do it, obviously. Didn't have a death wish. But he ran his fingers through Kanda's hair and he thought about it.

"You can pull harder, if you need it to stay," Kanda mumbled out of the blue. "It doesn't hurt."

"This is working for me," he answered. "And besides, you said you're taking it out. It'll be easier if the braid's loose."

"Mm."

Not so far away, opposite the table, Marie started humming a tune. It was what he did when he was concentrating on something that wasn't music or the mission. Nothing notable.

But actually, this was tune they practiced together sometimes. There there were a few big chords at the start that went well with a chime and the rest of it could float over the pulsing, humming chords that the Charity Bell could produce if you had a good control day. Daisya found himself joining in with the same basic harmony.

Outside, there were a few thumps and creaking noises as Lenalee sprang backwards and forwards along the hallway.

He messed up a few times before he finished the flat part of the braid, forgetting which one to loop around or not pulling tight enough, but he made it to the end before his hands started to go numb. Sure, he rushed through the last part, but he was in plenty of time when he finally put Kanda's hair tie around the end. Now, time to pin it in place and clean it up.

"Is it done?" asked Kanda.

"Nope!"

"Mm."

First, the loose ends. Some of Kanda's bangs had escaped, so he scooped them up off of his face and behind his ears, pinning them back into the braid. A few more pins reinforced the loose spots, and then the tail of the braid got tucked in where he started and pinned down to complete the crown. Sure, it looked kind of wonky, but it wasn't too bad for a first try. He patted Kanda on the shoulder.

"I'm great at this."

"Wait until I find a mirror."

"Daisya is right," Marie chimed in. "You don't look any worse than before."

"Hah! See?" Daisya couldn't help laughing a bit. "I am good!"

Kanda suddenly fell back against him, trapping him in his spot like he'd done earlier. Tricky bastard.

"He's blind, Daisya."

"I know, but he's smart."

He must have given up on him. Whatever the reason, Kanda just turned over and made himself comfortable. If he could be comfortable. At least he wasn't messing up his braid, keeping his hands under his head rather than just lying straight on Daisya's lap.

"You shouldn't encourage him," Kanda said, directing it at Marie.

"Nor should you," Marie shot back.

The noise of a very faint, whispered kiai filtered into the cabin as Lenalee moved on to katas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still in the early stages. Let me know if there are any typos that you want to make or things you want to see! No guarantees, but I am curious. Thank you few <3

**Author's Note:**

> Every comment I get is a gift! Four years later, I'm still reading them. Best wishes to all you reading this in the year of our lord 2021, even if it's just You-Know-Who-You-Are. I'm glad to have every reader here with me. Maybe, one day in the 2030s, we'll all be able to read the end of DGM together. Until then, take care!


End file.
